Toothbrush



Jan. 28, 1941.

F. H. voRHE'Es k-:T A1.

TOOTHBRUSH Filed Jari. 8. 1940 ATTOR N EYS Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITEDSTATES TOOTHBRUSH Frank H. Vorhees and John M. Besser, Chicago, Ill.

Application January 8, 1940, Serial No. 313,004

2 Claims.

This invention relates to toothbrushes and has ffcr an object to providea more hygienic toothbrush than conventional toothbrushes.

The uncleanliness of conventional toothbrushes is due to the flatsurface which is commonly used in the area where the bristles areinserted into the brush head and due to this flattened area thetoothbrush is always more or less contaminated with mouth debris andvn'th the residue of the dentifrice and it is most difficult to cleansethe toothbrush thoroughly because of this flat surface structure.

With the above in mind an object of the present invention is to providea toothbrush head of substantially triangular cross section, with oneside of the triangular head slightly rounded to serve as a back of thehead, whilethe other two sides receive the bristles, with the apex ofthe triangle extending well up between the bristles and being onlyslightly rounded. This construction of brush head promotes easycleansing and also the sides of the triangle partly support the bristleswhen the bristles are bent during the rubbing of the same against theteeth and gums and promote the long llife of the bristles by supportingthe bristles against being broken off.

With the above and other objects in view the.

invention consists of certain novel' details of construction andcombinations of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it beingunderstood that various modifications may be resorted to within thescope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication:

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a toothbrush constructed in accordancewith the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the toothbrush shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,with bristle tufts shown in elevation.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, Il) designates atoothbrush handle and II designates the toothbrush head while I2designates the narrow neck connecting the handle with the head.

In carrying out the invention, the head II is formed of substantiallytriangular cross section, as shown in Figure 3, the base I3 of thetriangular head being slightly rounded to serve as a back of the head,while the other two sides I4 and I5 of the triangular head receiverespective rows o-f bristle tufts I6 and Il'. The apex I8 of thetriangular head extends well up between the bristles and is slightlyrounded.

By virtue of the triangular shape of the head the head may be easilycleaned and `also the head will be of more than usual strength to resistbreakage. It will be observed by referring to Figures 1 and 2 that thetriangular head merges into one end of .a substantially triangular ribI9 which extends across the bottom of the neck l2 of the brush andfeathers out into the fiat bottom face of the handle I0. This ribreinforces the neck of the handle where breakage is ordinarily mostlikely to occur.

It will be pointed out that the bristles are arranged in spaced rowsextending longitudinally of the head and the apex of the head is locatedcentrally between and in parallel relation to the rows of bristles. Thusduring sweeping motion of the brush while massaging the gums the Workingrow of bristles, that is the row next to the tissues, will rest partlyagainst the adjacent inclined side of the head which later will supportthe bristles to materially shorten the flexing portions of the free endsof the bristles and thereby greatly reduce the likelihood of theirbecoming broken.

From the above description it is thought that the construction andoperation of the invention will be fully understood without furtherexplanation.

What is claimed is:

l. A toothbrush including a handle, a head of substantially triangularcross section extending from the handle in alignment therewith, the backof the head being curved transversely, longitudinal rows of spacedbristle tufts on the two inclined sides of the head, the apex of theinclined sides extending up between the bristle tufts, and a rib mergingat one end into one end of the head and said inclined sides and mergingat the other end into the bottom face of the handle.

2. A toothbrush including a handle, a narrow neck, and a head, the headbeing of substantially triangular cross section, spaced bristle tuftsarranged in rows extending longitudinally of the two inclined sides ofthe head, the apex of the inclined sides vbeing spaced centrally betweenand in parallel relation to the rows of bristle tufts, and a ribextending longitudinally of the bottom face of the neck and merginginto'the head and inclined sides thereof at one end and merging into thehandle at the other end.

FRANK H. VORHEES. JOHN M. BESSER.

